Please allow me to introduce our company Palace Music Group, LLC. We were established in 1996 as a distribution company. We specialize in Online Digital Distribution, Television and Movie Rights Synchronization. Palace Music Group, LLC is comprised of knowledgeable individuals operating with the right mixture of leadership, talent cultivation, foresight, planning, timing and game plan execution. Palace Music Group distributes unsigned independent artists from ALL genres.

Production company says it got to 'Wingmen' first

The title of a one-hour special on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)
debuting Saturday night has got a producer working with a chicken wing
entrepreneur steaming hot.

OWN's show is titled Wingmen and features two best friends
from Columbia, South Carolina and their small-town food truck business
selling stuffed chicken wings.

This has prompted a trademark lawsuit from Rags to Rick Productions, which is involved in an online reality TV show titled Wing-Men featuring the life of Rick Smiciklas,
described "an entrepreneur with little to his name when he opened his
first chicken wing restaurant in 1999, who now owns a chain of chicken
wing restaurants with over 100 locations."

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According to the complaint filed in Illinois federal court , "OWN's
use of the title WINGMEN for the OWN Program, and use of the WINGMEN
mark to promote same, is likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception
among members of the public given that both the OWN Program and the
Productions Program Series are programs featuring the antics of
entrepreneurs in the chicken wing business."

Although the complaint probably comes too late to stop the show, the
plaintiff demands that the judge be a wing-man and issue an injunction. Read the complaint here.

The actor will play Ruthless Records co-founder Jerry Heller

Paul Giamatti has closed a deal to star in Straight Outta Compton, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

The actor will play Jerry Heller, manager of the pioneering rap group N.W.A.

F. Gary Gray is directing the Universal biopic about the West Coast rappers, with original members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as well as Matt Alvarez and Tomica Woods-Wright producing. Will Packer and Scott Bernstein are exec producing.

Heller was already a major figure in the music scene before working
with N.W.A. He represented acts ranging form Journey to ELO to REO
Speedwagon and helped Pink Floyd and Elton John in their early American tours. He cemented his musical legacy when he co-founded the label Ruthless Records with Eazy-E.
Heller signed and managed N.W.A. and oversaw their rise. However, when
the band broke up with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre's departures, Heller was
fingered by some as being a Yoko Ono figure and the cause of the group's disbandment for mishandling monies.

Ice Cube's son O'Shea Jackson Jr. is playing his father in the film, with Jason Mitchell taking the part of Eazy-E and Corey Hawkins starring as Dr. Dre. The
project is set in the mid-1980s and chronicles how five young men
channeled their experiences growing up in Compton into brutally honest
music.

Giamatti, who was nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for 2005's Cinderella Man, is repped by UTA. His manager is Perri Kipperman and his legal representative is Robert Offer.

"She's tal-en-ted." T.I.,
typically polite and always loquacious, was speaking as if I'd asked
the dumbest question in the world, pausing between each syllable.

"She
has hit records. Broke the record for the most weeks at Number One for a
female rapper. She sells millions of singles. She sells out her shows.
She has a cult following, where fans drive from miles to see her."

Then again, maybe I had asked the dumbest question in the world, inquiring about Iggy Azalea's
success as if it were concocted, rather than a given. The Grand Hustle
CEO, artist, executive, reality TV show star and people's hero is an
ideal interview, insightful and generous, elaborating on his point of
view in great depth. Iggy Azalea, who he signed in 2012, has an
undeniable smash record with "Fancy." That this has caused controversy
in certain corners seems to mystify him: It's his job to find talent,
and that's exactly what he did.But there's a lot more going on in T.I.'s world these days. He has
two hit singles – "No Mediocre" with Iggy and "About the Money" with
Young Thug – an album trilogy on the way, a label with a diverse range
of artists, from B.o.B. to Trae the Truth, and an upcoming fifth season
of T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle.

Sitting down at VH1's
offices, the rapper, businessman and reality star spoke about that
upcoming season, what it's like for his kids to learn the family
business and how Chief Keef and Soulja Boy changed the way young artists
approach their careers.

How much do you involve the kids in the creation of the show? What have they learned?I
think they've learned how to present themselves to the world. I think
that's something that I want to instill in them. The way you present
yourself to the world is the way you will be perceived. If you take
yourself seriously, people will take you seriously. If you goof off and
you take yourself as a joke, people will take you as a joke. What you
put into it is what you will get out of it. That was something I always
wanted to make sure was known above all. Regardless of what industry
they were in, where their passion leads them. That quality is
ever-present in whatever world they could find themselves in.

Let's
talk about your music career. "About the Money" is a big single right
now. What do you like about Young Thug? How'd you connect with him?He's
dope, he's genuine, he's a guy who doesn't compromise his thoughts or
feelings or expression for the popular vote. I think he dares to be
different, regardless of who likes it or not. If what he presented to
the world was exactly what he was when you met him, then that means he'd
be exactly what everyone expects him to be. And I don't know an artist
that presents himself as being exactly what everyone expects him to be.

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He's consistently finding new things to teach the industry about him.
Everything is a surprise now. Oh, he wears extremely tight clothes.
Then you meet him. Oh, well, he's from the projects for real – he sounds
just like my cousin who's from the projects. And oh, he can really rap!
He's really talented. Everything is a surprise. Which makes it new,
fresh, and exciting for the consumer.

And me as an executive, that's "ching-ching." I don't care what you
say about him. I think that he's dope. He comes in the studio with me
and he can do 10 songs. I work fast. Every time I go in and knock mine
out, he's ready to walk in and knock his out. He ain't even put out an
album yet. And if he can keep up with me, that's something worth
saluting. And also just him maintaining a sense of individuality and not
being afraid or ashamed to be who he is. That to me is impressive in a
youngster.

What is the focus of your attention right now?This
album. This album or should I say these three albums, because this
album has kind of turned into a trilogy. The music, we already have it,
it's already done. We just have to really platform it, promote it,
market it, and strategically apply it. But this album, we hope to make a
film that will consist of three short stories. And each of these three
short stories will combine six or seven videos from these three albums.
And it would star me playing characters. But these characters would find
themselves in situations that would allow the music to narrate the
circumstances.

It's extremely ambitious and could be very costly. But I feel like
it's your ninth album and you've got to use your seniority and your
success and your relationships and resources, you've got to use them to
do something significantly different. Or else you're just another
motherfucker putting out an album.

"The same thing L.A. Reid and Jay Z saw in Rihanna is what I saw in Iggy."

I do have to ask – I'm curious about Iggy Azalea. She's had a very controversial...Why?
Why is it? I would like for you to raise a significant reason why it
should be any more controversial than any other rapper. "Fancy" is a hit
record. "Fancy" would have been a hit record whoever did it. It's just
that she was the first one to think to do it.

Are you still involved with her career? What's your role?She's a Grand Hustle artist and a Hustle Gang Member.

Have you met a person that finds her style of performing to be weird or abrasive to them?None
that will say it to my face. And if they would, they won't get any
hostility coming from me. I'm just going to approach it with logic and
reason. Just explain yourself. Make this shit make sense to me,
especially if they are a black person. Because black people have stood
up for equality, for justice, for being treated fairly, for whatever
they choose to do, and we have had to break down barriers in caucasian
dominated areas. From Tiger Woods in golf, to I'm sure there's a black
man somewhere playing hockey. And whenever it happens, it's always the
same thing. Black people are like, "That's not fair. They're not
allowing them the same opportunities, just because of their color." So
why would we stand in judgment, when someone else is in the same
position we have found ourselves in, why would we not treat them the way
that we want to be treated?

When you first discovered her, what stuck out to you?It
was the vision that she had for herself. The killer instinct of
quality. The same thing L.A. Reid and Jay Z saw in Rihanna is what I saw
in Iggy. I think as executives, it's our job to spot that kind of
intangible star shit and harness it and nurture it and cultivate it and
present it to the world. That's our job.

What's the biggest challenge as an executive in the industry right now?Man,
getting the youngsters to accept the idea of artist development. To get
them to not look at the way Chief Keef did it, or to not look at the
way Bobby Shmurda's doing it, or the way Soulja Boy did it. To say,
listen man. You can't plan on that to happen. If you are trying to
prepare yourself and prepare for success, there is a formula. There are
things that come before you just being tossed into the stratosphere. To
get young artists to accept that process is difficult.

I think with the Internet and the technology and the ways that people
now have a way to present themselves to the industry, it bypassed the
whole gatekeeper process. Back then, when Russell Simmons said something
was going to be a hit, and you believed it because it was Russell
Simmons, and he wasn't going to present nothing to you that was wack.

Over time, that went away. So now it's just like, OK, y'all say I'm
not ready? So what. Fuck what you say. Put my shit up on YouTube. Now
when people click on their computer for free – for free! – costs them
nothing, they just click on it. They could be laughing, they could not
like it. Just because they clicked on it. If you get enough of those,
that bypasses me saying, you ain't ready yet. In some cases, that is the
absolute best thing. In other cases, it clogs up the pipeline, and they
take up space for cats who really do deserve to be heard. So I mean,
it's the gift and the curse.

Midwest rap veteran Nelly is the latest hip-hop artist to speak out in light of last weekend's fatal shooting of teenager Mike Brown and offered up some caution for St. Louis rioters.

Although upset by Brown's controversial death, Nelly said people should realize resorting to violence is not the best move.

Nelly tells TMZ ... "I understand the frustration, but we
have to strategize before we overreact ... We don't get no do-over on
sh*t like this, so we have to do it right the first time." The rapper
adds, "Ain't nothing happen no different that hasn't been happening ...
At the end of the day, we should have waited to strategize first and
take all the right steps to organize." (TMZ)

In the wake of the police shooting that left
African-American teenager Michael Brown dead, J. Cole responds by
penning a powerful and emotional plea. Over a bare bones beat, the Roc
Nation MC cries out for freedom and justice. "All we wanna do is take
the chains off / All we wanna do is be free," sings a grief-stricken
Cole. "Rest in Peace to Michael Brown and to every young black man
murdered in America, whether by the hands of white or black," said Cole.
"I pray that one day the world will be filled with peace and rid of
injustice. Only then will we all Be Free." (Rap-Up)

Along with performing with a Mike Brown shirt, rap star Jeezy has relied on social media to to speak out on the teen's death.

"It's a shame in today's Society we have to protect our
loved ones from those who are sworn to protect us. We have to stand
strong together and let our voices be heard across the nation. We will
not tolerate innocent children being slain. Michael Brown may you rest
with the Angels!!! #saveourchildren #St.Louisstandup," Jeezy captioned
to a photo of Mike Brown.

"I had to see it for myself!! The answer is not tearing down
our own neighborhoods and communities, the answer is goin to the source
of the problem in numbers. So many numbers that they know they don't
have a chance. We want justice not chaos!! #ferguson #st.louis
#saveourchildren #justiceformichaelbrown," Jeezy captioned August 13. (Jeezy's Instagram)

President Barack Obamaspoke on behalf of himself and First Lady Michelle and acknowledged the widespread attention Brown's death caused Tuesday (August 12).

"The death of Michael Brown is heartbreaking, and Michelle
and I send our deepest condolences to his family and his community at
this very difficult time. As Attorney General Holder has indicated, the
Department of Justice is investigating the situation along with local
officials, and they will continue to direct resources to the case as
needed. I know the events of the past few days have prompted strong
passions, but as details unfold, I urge everyone in Ferguson, Missouri,
and across the country, to remember this young man through reflection
and understanding. We should comfort each other and talk with one
another in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds. Along with our
prayers, that's what Michael and his family, and our broader American
community, deserve." (Statement)

Damon Dash believes he is owed money from several of Lee Daniels' film and television projects, including The Butler.

The Roc-a-Fella Records co-founder has gone to New York Supreme Court
as a first step toward filing a complaint against the Oscar-nominated
director.

A summons filed by Dash in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday (Aug.
14) outlines claims of breach of contract, breach of the duty of good
faith and fair dealing, promissory estoppel, unjust enrichment and
conversion. Dash believes that his written and oral agreements with the
producer/director covered such projects as The Butler, Precious, The Paperboy, The Woodsman, Shadowboxer and Tennessee.

Last week, Dish told one hip-hop site that he invested $2 million so that Daniels could produce The Woodsman
a decade ago. Dash said that he never got money back despite promises.
The summons alleges that Dash has been deprived of compensation,
producer credits and ownership rights.

Although TMZ and other news outlets have reported that a $25 million
lawsuit has been filed, that's not quite accurate. Instead, the summons
provides notice of Dash's claims and provides Daniels with an
opportunity to demand he be served with an actual complaint. If he fails
to appear in New York court, then Dash will seek a default judgment of
$25 million, producer credits on all Lee Daniels' films and TV projects,
plus further attorney's fees.

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According to the summons, these defendants got between Dash's alleged
oral and written agreements with Daniels. No details are provided.

As to the defamation claim, Sheffield is said to have published false
statements to third parties in the film and TV industry about Dash
being the subject of a looming incarceration. A default judgment would
carry requested damages of $1 million.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Every
so often, California's requirement that talent agents be licensed mucks
up relationships in the entertainment industry.

On Monday, the
California Labor Commissioner promulgated a decision that has the
potential to be a huge disrupter in the music business, changing how
artists, producers and record labels co-exist with each other.

The dispute involves a record producer named Steve Lindsay, who has done work for the band Guster and the trumpeter Chris Botti, and allegedly owed money to his former personal management firm, the Marie Management Group (MMG).

After the firm sought to collect money from Lindsay, the California
Labor Commissioner held a hearing about whether agreements set up for
Lindsay violated the Talent Agencies Act, a statute adopted by the
California legislature in 1978, which says only licensed talent agents
can procure employment for clients.There's a great exception to this rule, however.

Up until now, the TAA hasn't had as much an impact in the music business as other sectors in entertainment thanks to an exemption set up in 1982 for the procurement of recording contracts.

But what happens if a manager sets up a deal between a recording artist and producer? The exemption applies, right? No, says the Labor Commissioner in its newest ruling.

When Lindsay was being represented by MMG, he was being handled by Bennett Kaufman,
who lined up opportunities for Lindsay to produce albums. Notably, when
Lindsay did work for Guster, the producer and band formed a direct
contractual relationship with each other. The record company, Sire
Records, was not a party to this contract. The same was true on the
contract that governed Lindsay's work for Botti. Sony Music wasn't a
part of that deal either.

So what?

MMG argued that the contracts were connected to the production of
recordings, and so, the exemption applied. To hold otherwise, MMG
argued, would "send shockwaves through the industry and disturb
long-held, highly developed rules and territory between managers and
agents, not to mention a flurry of new claims by artists or non-artists
involved in a recording contract."

"Because based on limited legislative history it appears the intent
of the recording contract exemption was to exempt the act of negotiating
recording contracts between artists and the recording companies. Here
the Guster and Botti agreements are agreements made directly between a
producer and the artist. In short, the record company is not a party to
these contracts. These contracts are essentially contracts between two
artists for services. And consequently, we choose not to expand the
purview of the Act's exemption to encompass contracts for personal
services between artists and producer/artists."

This violation of the TAA was determined to be so significant that
the Labor Commissioner decided to void the entire personal management
agreement between Lindsay and MMG. This is significant because MMG
likely wanted most of all to collect a percentage of the sale of
Lindsay's jointly-operated publishing company. That was part of the
overall dispute, but the Labor Commissioner finds that MMG's securing of
a publishing agreement for Lindsay was akin to getting him involved in
a co-venture or partnership -- outside of the scope of the TAA. In
other words, if it wasn't for the Guster and Botti deals, MMG would be
owed money, but the Labor Commissioner rules against severing those
engagements.

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Here are the ramifications in English: Record producers and artists
can't simply contract with each other. At least, not if managers want to
securely collect their commissions. There's going to have to be changes
to the dynamic. Perhaps record labels become a party to the deals. Or
maybe producers work for the labels instead of providing services
directly to the artist. Time will tell. Bryan Freedman, who along with Steve Stiglitz at Freedman & Taitelman represented Lindsay, calls the ruling a "game-changer for the music industry."

If
you want to better understand affluent, digitally savvy music
consumers, get to know the 19 million Asian-Americans in the United
States.

Digital Vision/Getty Images

A new Nielsen report,
"Listen Up: Asian-American Consumers and Music," details a
multi-cultural group that spends more on music and that adopts
music-related technologies faster than the population at large.

Nielsen's new report says Asian-Americans spend more on music than
the average American consumer by a margin of $112 to $105. They spend
more on live music -- $44 per person each year -- than any other
multicultural segment of the population. The $19 they average on annual
CD purchases is $6 more than the national average. They also spend twice
the national average on music gift cards.A previous Nielsen report
released in December called Asian-Americans "affluent, well-educated,
geographically-concentrated and technologically savvy." Their households
earn and spend above the national average, they're more likely to make
online purchases and they adopt technology faster than any other segment
of the population.

This relative affluence can be seen in adoption of technologies. More
Asian-Americans have a smartphone (81 percent) than the overall
population (70 percent) and more of them have downloaded music on a
smartphone (22 percent to 16 percent). Spotify is twice as popular with
Asian-Americans (14.4 percent) than with Americans in general (7.6
percent). Asian-Americans are more likely than the average American to
listen to music on a laptop (36 percent versus 23 percent), an iPhone
(25 percent versus 17 percent), an Android smartphone (22 percent to 16
percent) and an Apple laptop (13 percent to 5 percent).

When it comes to musical preferences, howeer, Asian-Americans aren't
unlike the population as a whole. Pop is the favorite genre of 23
percent of Asian Americans, followed by hip hop with 9 percent, R&B
with 8 percent and 7 percent for both rock/alternative and country.

President Barack Obama and Atlanta rapper Killer Mike have come forward with statements on the death of Missouri teenager Mike Brown.

President Obama spoke on behalf of himself and First Lady Michelle and acknowledged the widespread attention Brown's death has caused.

"The death of Michael Brown is heartbreaking, and Michelle
and I send our deepest condolences to his family and his community at
this very difficult time. As Attorney General Holder has indicated, the
Department of Justice is investigating the situation along with local
officials, and they will continue to direct resources to the case as
needed. I know the events of the past few days have prompted strong
passions, but as details unfold, I urge everyone in Ferguson, Missouri,
and across the country, to remember this young man through reflection
and understanding. We should comfort each other and talk with one
another in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds. Along with our
prayers, that's what Michael and his family, and our broader American
community, deserve." (Statement)

Atlanta rapper Killer Mike posted a photo of Brown's parents and asked for people to resist personal prejudices to demand justice.

"We are human beings. We deserve to be buried by our
children not the other way around. No matter how u felt about black
people look at this mother and look at this father and tell me as a
human being how u cannot feel empathy for them. How can u not feel
sympathy for their pain and loss. These are not 'THOTS, n*ggas/n*ggers,
h*es, Ballers, Divas.' These two people are parents. They are humans
that produced a child and loved that child and that child was
slaughtered like Game and left face down as public spectacle while his
blood drained down the street." (Killer Mike's Instagram)

Mike also took direct aim at the officer responsible for taking the teen's life.

"I don't care if others rioted or why. I don't care that
ballplayers and rappers are what they shud be. I care that we as humans
care as much about one another more. I care we see past Class, race and
culture and honor the humanity that unites our species. Stop talking and
LOOK at these PEOPLE. LOOK at these HUMANS and stand with them against a
system allows a Human PIG to slaughter their child. Forgive any typos
love and respect u all." (Killer Mike's Instagram)

The incident happened in a roadway Saturday afternoon near
the Canfield Green Apartments in the 2900 block of Canfield. Witnesses
tell News 4 that Brown was unarmed and had his hands in the air when he
was shot multiple times by a Ferguson police officer. According to
Dorin Johnson, a friend of Michael Brown, the officer told the two of
them not to walk on the street, reached out and grabbed Brown. "[The
officer] shot again and once my friend felt that shot, he turned around
and put his hands in the air," said Johnson. "He started to get down and
the officer still approached with his weapon drawn and fired several
more shots." (KMOV)

Good
news for Culture Club fans: The highly popular British new wave band
has a new album in the works to go with 2014 tour dates in both the
United States and the United Kingdom. And unlike previous reunions, this
incarnation of Culture Club will include frontman Boy George.

Mikey Craig, Jon Moss, Boy George and Roy Hay of Culture Club in 1983.
Ebet Roberts/Redferns

The so-far untitled new album will arrive in 2015 and will be produced by veteran U.K. musician Martin Glover
(aka Youth), who has previously worked with acts like the Verve,
Erasure, and the Futureheads, in addition to playing bass in Killing
Joke.

Culture Club has released one album -- 1999’s Don't Mind If I Do
-- since disbanding in 1986 following their early '80s glory days. The
reunited "classic lineup" will feature frontman Boy George, bassist
Mikey Craig, guitarist/keyboardist Roy Hay, and drummer Jon Moss.

Culture Club were the first band since the Beatles to have three songs from their debut album (1982's Kissing to Be Clever) reach the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100.
Those hits — "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," "Time (Clock of the
Heart)" and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" — should be on display as the band tours
later this year. Following a brief U.S. jaunt, they'll tour the U.K.
throughout December.

Young Money's Tyga is reportedly back on the dating market after calling it quits with longtime model girlfriend Blac Chyna.

According to reports, Tyga pulled the plug on their romance after having a son nearly two years ago and getting engaged in December 2012.

Sources close to the former pair tell TMZ ... Tyga's the one
who called it quits. It's unclear why he threw in the towel. We're
told Blac Chyna isn't acknowledging the breakup -- she's in denial --
and some of her stuff is still at the house. We're told Tyga hosted two
pool parties at their home in the last few weeks (including one for Kylie Jenner's birthday) but she wasn't invited to either. (TMZ)

"Stop with the lies!!!! This not me! Not my body nor my
tattoo .... I never used to date another rapper named Fat Trel, EVER, so
dead all this sh*t now. A fool would believe anything they see or hear!
My love and loyalty has been with Ty and King. So miss me with that rap
sh*t!!!" (Blac Chyna's Instagram)

Blac Chyna has somehow been mixed up in Twitter feud between a D-List rapper named Fat Trel and his baby mama Chrissy V,
and Chyna is not happy about it. The angry baby mama put Trel on blast
during a rant on Twitter, claiming he had sex with Blac Chyna while her
and her boyfriend Tyga's baby was sleeping in the next room. (RumorFix)

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

BET is bulking up its unscripted programming.

The Viacom-owned cable network has handed out series orders to docuseries starring rapper Nelly, a new entry with Keyshia Cole and one featuring Meet the Browns stars David and Tamela Mann.

Keyshia Cole Fires Manager in Wake of Declining Sales

The untitled Cole project, picked up for six half-hour episodes,
marks BET's third series featuring the multiplatinum-selling singer. The
new series chronicles Cole's ongoing emotional journey as she confronts
real-life issues, including her unstable marriage to NBA player Daniel Gibson, her evolving career, motherhood and family struggles. (The previous series, Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is and Keyshia & Daniel: Family First, ran from 2006-08 and in 2012, respectively.) The series hails from DuBose Entertainment's James DuBose, Imani Entertainment Group's Manny Halley and Cole. Kai Bowe will co-executive produce.

The untitled Nelly vehicle, meanwhile, will focus on the rapper
navigating his hip-hop career, fashion businessman/co-owner of the NBA's
Charlotte Bobcats and father to his biological children and his late
sister's children, all while balancing a relationship with Miss Jackson, Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s
ex-girlfriend. The eight hourlong episodes will, as BET says, offer
viewers an all-access pass to Nelly's life. Nelly will executive produce
the Entertainment One series alongside Tara Long, John Morayniss, Howie Miller, David Shaye, Kim McKoy and Shanta Conic and co-executive producer J. Erving.

News

Mann (Tyler Perry'sMeet the Browns)
and feature the couple at home with their four adult children, at
exclusive events and with their famous friends. The couple, married for
26 years, have become well-known around the globe for their roles in
Tyler Perry's film and stage work. BET has picked up eight hourlong
episodes of the show from Entertainment One. The Manns exec produce
alongside Long, Miller, McKoy, Roger Bobb and Phil Thornton.

"These three shows are led by talent that our audience connects with
but are also very different shows," BET senior vp original programming Charlie Jordan Brookins tells THR. "We're excited about these new shows. What BET does is give the audience what they've been looking for."

The
music industry is on the verge of adopting a global street date that
could see all countries issuing new releases on a Friday, probably
beginning a year from now, in July 2015, according to industry sources.

Halfdark/Getty Images

While some sources say its a done deal as far as the major labels and
the IFPI and RIAA are concerned, other sources insist the issue has yet
to be fully decided. The main reason why the industry is moving toward a
global street date -- instead of letting each territory pick the day
that they feel is best for their respective markets, which is the way it
works now -- is to cut down on global piracy.

With Australia now having a Friday street date, digital piracy begins
almost immediately around the globe, as the new release is shared
across the web before fans in the U.K. (which has a Monday street date)
or the U.S. (which has a Tuesday street date) have a chance to purchase
the music legally.With varying street dates in different markets, the labels are able
move their artists around in order to take advantage of marketing
opportunities that coincide with the changed street date. Now, labels
can still do that on the week of release, but will have less opportunity
to schedule a high-profile appearance on the release date itself.

News

While sources say that digital music service providers like the
Friday street date, not all physical merchants have given the change
their blessing; some indie labels and indie merchants are opposed to
having the global street date on Friday. They say they like the concept
of having street dates early in the week because they feel it helps sell
more CDs -- devout customers of an artist will come in on Tuesday while
others will come in on payday, which is usually at the end of the week.
Yet, in the end, brick-and-mortar stores and indie labels may not have
much say in picking which day of the week functions as the global street
date."This global streetdate is necessary for the industry but
unfortunately it will be awkward for the physical retailers to change
their ways of doing business," says one label executive. "Now, they
could have two-thirds of their sales in one day," which would impact
retail operation.

Meanwhile, preparing for a universal street date is not without
issues for all parties, which is why there is so much lead time ahead of
the contemplated shift.Among the issues that have to be addressed to accommodate the shift
is that physical pipeline scheduling will have to be revamped, and
discussions on whether and how to change the various music charts around
the world. Beyond the music industry -- which created the notion of an
industry streetdate for new releases and established Tuesday as that day
in the U.S. -- other entertainment software industries have adopted
Tuesday as well, first the home video industry and then the book
industry. Now that the various entertainmentcompanies have taught the
U.S. consumer to go to stores on a Tuesday, will those other industries
follow suit and change with the music industry?

Over the weekend, Drizzy's mentor Lil Wayne appeared in a promotional clip supporting their current nationwide tour.

"I've been doing this too long for anybody - especially a
Drake to be coming at me with some versus Lil Wayne sh*t ," Wayne says
at the start of the clip. "When I go to the studio, I got a list of
things to do everyday. It's not a such thing as I'm gonna take off and
go to the studio this month. Nah, I go to the studio every single day. I
work out. ... I don't pick up weights. I already go enough weight on my
motherf*cking back. I lift blunts everyday, all day. And this workout
regiment right here, when you just lifting these blunts everyday, it
makes your forearm ready to knock a n*gga like Drake clean the f*ck out.
Know what I'm talking about?" (Vimeo)

News

"This is me, working out, getting ready for tour," Drake
says in his portion of the clip. "I gotta let the people know I'm super
prepared in my own hour, running up and down the stairs. Anyway, um, I'm
not here to run up and down stairs or show you me and my friends'
graffiti on our special wall, say cool things. I don't think people
realize what this is. This isn't a Wayne goes on and I go on and Wayne
goes on. This is like me versus whatever, this guy that put me here or
whatever. Not only do you decide who wins but you decide who starts the
show." (Vimeo)

Round 1. The student (Drake) went head-to-head with the
teacher (Lil Wayne) on opening night of the "Drake Vs. Lil Wayne" tour,
which kicked off in Buffalo, New York, on Friday. The YMCMB all-stars
brought their battle to the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in a
video game-inspired showdown. (Rap-Up)

Around 11:55 a.m. Monday, sheriff's officials said, a
911 call came in about a man who was unresponsive in his home in
Tiburon. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Williams "has been
battling severe depression of late," his publicist Mara Buxbaum
said. "This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks
for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time." (Los Angeles Times)

"Robin Williams passed away this morning," rep Mara Buxbaum
said in a statement tonight. "He has been battling severe depression of
late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for
their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time." (ABC News)

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